More earthquakes, this time from oil & gas waste disposal

Injection of oil and gas waste water into a disposal well is suspected as the cause for a swarm of earthquakes around Youngstown, Ohio. A magnitude 4.0 earthquake on New Year’s Eve was the biggest of 11 earthquakes that occurred in the region since mid-March. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) halted injection at the suspected well and also suspended activity at four additional disposal wells that are not yet operational. A map showing these wells can be found here . Induced seismicity tied to the injection or withdrawal of fluids is well established and documented, as I wrote in my previous blog . And just like the induced earthquakes in the UK and Oklahoma, these earthquakes in Ohio likely could have been prevented by proper planning and site characterization. Underground injection is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Un...